Posts with the tag resignation

Chris Buckley Comes O'board

ted in pdx — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 20:38:33 EDT

(My letter to the National Review Online after Chris Buckley's resignation...)

I've been a voting Republican since July 1, 1971. I voted for George Bush in 2000. This time last year, I was a supporter of John McCain, and admiring him for his comeback from his first campaign disaster. He lost me for good when he voted against Jim Webb's New GI Bill, because it brought the funding for the education benefit up to date with the contemporary cost of going to college. He said that might harm the "retention rates" for non-commissioned members in our 'volunteer' army. (Perhaps he and Lindsay Graham consider the volunteer enlistment agreement an indenture as well.)

I always admired William F. Buckley too, but never quite so much as when I heard his son had opted out of the dysfunctional campaign to elect a man who exhibits not only the early stages of mental deterioration quite common for people in their 70's, but many of the self-destructive tendencies that brought down the Nixon administration. When I see him speaking these days, I'm reminded of the movie "The Caine Mutiny", and Humphrey Bogart's marvelous portrayal of an aging Naval commander and war hero, complete with the nervous facial ticks masquerading as smiles, desperately trying to hang on to past glories, and all the while descending slowly into madness. It's plain to see for any who aspire to intellectual honesty, as WFB Jr. always did, but not to the die-hards and hate-mongers who control our party today. For them it's insufficient to agree to disagree, it's a scorched earth issue, worthy of a vendetta.

As for Mr. Rove's questioning Senator Obama's qualifications for the Presidency, all of that was heard 148 years ago as well, when the Republican party nominated Abraham Lincoln. I've been reading Doris Kearns Goodwin's book about Lincoln, and the similarities between the two men from Illinois are striking (albeit Lincoln had no formal education). If you laid out their resumes' side-by-side, it would be hard to tell them apart, but for that one detail. The party establishment didn't think very highly of Lincoln at first, either. They even ridiculed his name, calling him 'Abram'. Nonetheless, in spite of his inadequate preparation for the job, it seems he did alright in the eyes of history. I did a little survey of polls on-line, and Lincoln beat out Washington and FDR as the consensus choice: our greatest President.

But perhaps Mr. Rove is a better judge of character. I'm sure he would say: "Obama is no Abraham Lincoln..." (and I would agree, just not by such a wide margin). I suspect that today, the Conservatives in our party would brand Lincoln the worst (and best) example of a 'liberal fascist', in fact I'm sure of it. In kind, I wonder what Lincoln might have to say about his Republican party, circa 2008? Whatever he said, I'm sure it would be gracious. But perhaps our party is no longer the party of Lincoln, having become it seems, more the party of Booth.

Americans in Romania for Obama

Radu Florescu — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 04:44:22 EDT

"Americans in Romania for Obama" Commission's first event, lead by John and Radu Florescu, took place on Thursday, the 4th September at Fiat 500 Cabaret Club in Bucharest.

How The Bush-McCain Man In Pakistan Finally Quit

Charley James — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 08:05:11 EDT

Writing this morning at Salon.com, noted University of Michigan Arabist and Middle East expert Juan Cole describes the fall of Pervez Musharraf, the Bush-Cheney-McCain man in Pakistan. Despite his despotism and double-dealing with the Taliban and al-Qaeda, Bush, McCain and the entire GOP embraced him to the bitter end.)

Here’s an excerpt from the Salon piece.

It is a measure of the Bush administration's broken foreign policy that the departure of Pervez Musharraf, the corrupt, long-time military dictator of Pakistan, is provoking fears in Washington of "instability." Despite Bush's warm embrace, Musharraf gutted the rule of law in Pakistan over the previous year and a half, including sacking its Supreme Court. He attempted to do away with press freedom, failed to provide security for campaigning politicians and strove to postpone elections indefinitely.

Bush, Cheney and McCain have a regular practice of undermining democracy in places where local politics don't play out to their liking, and in that Musharraf was a true partner. But stability does not derive from a tyrannical brake on popular aspirations but from the free play of the political process. Musharraf's resignation marks Pakistan's first chance for a decent political future since 1977.

You can read the whole thing here.

Meanwhile, the Karachi newspaper Dawn runs down how Bush was finally convinced that Musharraf had to go.

- Bush was the last holdout supporting Musharraf in Washington, long after Rice and even Cheney had concluded he was not viable.

- PM Yousef Raza Gilani's recent trip to Washington was largely aimed at convincing Bush and others that the dictator had to go. "The prime minister took a team of 'Musharraf experts' with him to the luncheon and they played a key role in persuading Mr Bush to stop supporting the Pakistani leader."

- U.S. Ambassador Anne W. Patterson "argued that if Washington continued supporting Mr Musharraf it would end up stoking massive anti-American feelings in Pakistan."

- Joint Chief Chairman Mike Mullen made three trips to Pakistan and engaged in intensive discussions with his opposite number, Gen. Ashfaq Kayani, receiving assurances that without Musharraf the Pakistani military would remain committed to the fight against the neo-Taliban and al-Qaeda.

- Pakistan's Ambassador to Washington, Husain Haqqani, expertly worked Congress and the Senate, as well as think tanks, trying to convince them that Pakistan would not be "unstable" without Musharraf. People in Washington are so funny. Musharraf has been like a one man hurricane in Pakistan for the last year and a half, and the source of most of its instability.

- Perhaps thinking perhaps of his own, personal vulnerability come Jan. 2009. Bush wanted assurances that Musharraf would be granted legal immunity. He enlisted the help of Britain and Saudi Arabia. Dawn reports, "The British sent their former ambassador in Islamabad, Mark Lyall Grant, to Pakistan and the Saudis sent their intelligence chief Prince Muqrin bin Abdul Aziz to negotiate the terms for Mr Musharraf's departure." The Saudis also put pressure on former PM Nawaz Sharif, leader of the Muslim League (N), to tone down his rhetoric (Sharif was in exile in Saudi Arabia for years and is close to its elite).

- Once Bush was convinced Musharraf had to step down, the super-majority in the Pakistani parliament began moving against him.

Imagine my surprise at discovering that Bush, not Cheney, was the last holdout. If the man really does have no common sense and is the ultimate decision-maker, that helps clarify what has gone so wrong for the last seven years.

The FISA fissure

allison — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 23:27:29 EDT

Okay, I'm very disappointed about this FISA business. Today's post from Senator Obama doesn't change that. I am very impressed with his willingness to allow these expressions of dissent on his own website. This acceptance of disagreement and the importance of listening to disagreement and engaging it represents the leadership style I want to see in the White House.

This brings up a question of priorities. What's more important: leadership style or the protection of the constitution? I suppose I wouldn't care what style he embodied if I felt that our constitutional rights were being soundly protected. So, if there were no other considerations, I might opt to withdraw my support based on this.

REGARDING MY PREVIOUS BLOG, "race and religion: pattern of clinton accidents or campaign ploys?"

jonathan | cvg — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 22:26:10 EDT

REGARDING MY PREVIOUS BLOG, "race and religion: pattern of clinton accidents or campaign ploys?"

MY PREVIOUS BLOG LINK

allow me to elaborate that i am fully aware of the honorary role wright was reported to having served with a spiritual african-american committee associated with the campaign. i've known of this since the last debates. but, allow me to reiterate my distinction between a supporter who serves on a committee associated with a campaign versus:

the candidate, hillary clinton, who apologized for her comments following losses on super tuesday (clinton blamed proud black communities that voted for barack. she entirely dismissed the educated voters and youth support obama also turned out in record numbers)

former president bill clinton, husband and advisor, for whom hillary has also apologized

geraldine ferraro, lead advisor-fundraiser-member of finance committee, for whom hillary has also apologized... but did not repudiate the remarks until after ferraro resigned days later and after having appeared on virtually every major network defending her commentary

perhaps that distinction is better defined since i "glazed" over the known fact that wright served an honorary role on a committee associated with the campaign. what i said clearly distinguishes that he was neither a staff member or lead advisor such as ferraro or samantha power. let us remain cognizant that a stark difference exists when compared to the candidate, lead advisor, or staff member.

TONIGHT'S NEWS:

from msnbc:

"Obama’s campaign announced that the minister, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright Jr., had left its spiritual advisory committee after videotapes of his sermons again ignited fierce debate in news accounts and political blogs."

"African American Religious Leadership Committee, a loose group of supporters associated with the campaign"

OBAMA SAID IN HIS INTERVIEW:

“I strongly condemn” Wright’s statements, but “I would not repudiate the man,” Obama said. “He’s been preaching for 30 years. He’s a man who was a former Marine, a biblical scholar, someone who’s spoken at theological schools all over the country.

“That’s the man I know,” Obama said. “That’s the man who was the pastor of this church.”

But Obama acknowledged that “there’s no doubt this is going to be used as political fodder, as it has been in the past.”

“What I hope is [that] what the American people will trust is what I believe,” he said, that “my values, my ideas, what I’ve spoke about in terms of bringing the country together will override a guilt by association.”

~ j

race and religion: pattern of clinton accidents or campaign ploys?

jonathan | cvg — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 04:29:09 EDT

what does retired minister wright from obama's church have to do with obama's qualifications? could this be another pathetic attempt by clinton surrogates to tarnish obama's superior record of leadership? was today's release of another sermon simply to deflect from an undeniable pattern of remarks made directly by hillary clinton, directly by bill clinton, and directly by campaign speakers/staff such as geraldine ferraro?

obama has publicly rejected any decisive sentiments that might be spoken from his former minister or any other person speaking decisively against clinton or any group in a roundabout way of supporting obama. obama's true message is about inviting, welcoming, and uniting diverse backgrounds... among his most famous quotes is the one he ends: "this is the united states of america."

obama has publicly described his former minister as “an old uncle who sometimes will say things that i don't agree with.” i can see no logic in faulting obama for his retired minister's words. because obama's position is consistent and because obama previously addressed his former minister as noted above, the equivalent would be someone holding the words of my republican, baptist father against me. my father's words no more reflect my progressive, inclusive paradigm as wright's words reflect senator barack obama's paradigm.

the commentary by geraldine ferraro is relevant, not because race should be, but because the event is in no way isolated and ferraro played an official lead advisory role with "team clinton." incidentally, ferraro resigned wednesday. before her resignation, however, geraldine ferraro invoked racial division against senator barack obama multiple times in the past week. she also made similar comments regarding reverend jesse jackson. in an april 15, 1988 article, the washington post quoted ferraro saying "if jesse jackson were not black, he wouldn't be in the race."

in addition to a pattern deriving from ferraro, there is a growing, no-longer-undeniable pattern deriving from key players in "team clinton." top supporters aiding in campaign efforts, former president bill clinton, and senator clinton, herself, misspoke along racial/religious lines leading to national divide. one might speculate whether this pattern of racial/religious divide is a repeated clinton accident or campaign ploy? after all, had obama not rallied record turnouts in the black community, consolidating the white vote under one candidate would have lead to more victories for clinton.

let's not forget this is more than just racial divide. i have not forgotten former nebraska senator bob kerrey, a major clinton backer, who asserted that an obama presidency may improve the world's image of our country because of obama's "muslim roots." similarly, i do not dismiss senator clinton's noncommital denouncement of muslim rumors as recently as two nights before the ohio and texas primaries. in her appearance on 60 minutes, when asked about obama being muslim, senator clinton responded, "there's nothing to base that on... at least not that i know." the exit polls in ohio showed that obama lost protestant and catholic votes which, as we all know, encompasses the majority of religious denominations in ohio.

ironically, the retired minister who the press and clinton supporters continually use against obama formerly worked at a church of christ, a christian denomination where obama and his family have attended for more than two decades. the implied "muslim roots" are relatives on obama's deceased father's side which obama never met until a visit to his father's grave before harvard law school. barack obama is christian and he has never been muslim or attended a muslim school.

from cnn:

"I don't think Geraldine Ferraro's comments have any place in our politics or in the Democratic Party. They are divisive," Senator Obama told the Allentown Morning Call.

"I think anybody who understands the history of this country knows they are patently absurd. And, I would expect that the same way those comments don't have a place in my campaign, they shouldn't have a place in Senator Clinton's, either," he added.

Earlier, Obama's top strategist, David Axelrod, called for Clinton to sever ties with the former New York congresswoman, who serves on her campaign's finance committee.

"When you wink and nod at offensive statements, you're really sending a signal to your supporters that anything goes," Axelrod said.

from msnbc:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qXBXD2zizIY

keith olbermann is spot on with his assessment of hillary clinton's insensitive, questionable management or lack there of. you must watch this honest, well-articulated perspective on the past week's activities by senator clinton and her tepid response. clinton failed to publicly denounce or reject geraldine ferraro until after she received a resignation on wednesday. yet, when samantha power dubbed clinton a "monster" off the record and apologized, senator clinton gave one of her typical hollywood attack speeches calling for samantha power to resign because her "monster" characterization was inconsistent with OBAMA FOR AMERICA messaging. samanatha power did, in fact, apologize and, within hours, resign. instead of apologizing, ferraro defended herself on virtually every major newtork and waited more than 48 hours to resign.

anyone believing that comparing obama’s former minister who is NOT WORKING ON obama’s campaign staff or as a lead advisor AND something said directly by hillary, bill, geraldine, or any other campaign speaker/staff/advisor... well, that anyone is not only making illogical, misleading comparisons... but such a person should look in the mirror. such a person should delve inward and question the ethics or true motivations behind such comparisons/rebuttals.

while it is your choice to be a "stubbornly uneducated" american, as bill maher so wisely coined, in this age of information and resources to verify information, you should be ashamed and embarrassed to spew:
factually inaccurate...
blatantly false...
speculative and debunked...
as well as unresearched propaganda aimed at misleading impressionable minds, perhaps like your own, for benefit to a candidate or to an issue indefensible on merit or on consistently proven, documented records.

such vile behavior is not only reckless, but it is the lowest form of manipulation and i, for one, deem it unacceptable.

pattern of clinton accidents or campaign ploys? frankly, my dear, i don’t give a damn. anyway you look at it, "team clinton" is wrong.

~ j

Obama Rejects Adviser's Comments - AP

obamarama — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 18:54:30 EST

Obama Rejects Adviser's Comments

By NEDRA PICKLER

WASHINGTON (AP) — A former adviser to Barack Obama who resigned Friday after calling rival Hillary Rodham Clinton "a monster" said Obama may not be able to withdraw all U.S. combat troops from Iraq within a year as he has promised on the campaign trail.

Samantha Power, a Pulitzer Prize-winner author and unpaid adviser, made the comments in two separate interviews with foreign media while promoting her latest book. In a tight Democratic presidential campaign where attacks are becoming increasingly bitter, Power's comments ignited a flurry of accusations between the two candidates.

Clinton said it's hard to know what Obama's real positions are, while Obama insisted he will end the war in 2009 if elected and blamed Clinton for helping start it.

Good-Bye Republican Party

Michael Kotyk — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 22:14:04 EST

Last night, as I watched the Channel 6 Action News, I caught the tail end of a news broadcast where conservative radio talk show host, Bill Cunningham, made his remarks about Senator Obama. Cunningham is among the many 'conservative' talk show hosts who have taken the right wing so far into flight that they are now in orbit. They are so far away, and out of touch with the American people, that they can be found somewhere around the planet Pluto.

Cunningham spoke on the behalf of Republican Senator John McCain at a rally in Cincinnati. Speaking before McCain, Cunningham called Obama a "hack, Chicago-style Daley politician." He went further on to say that, "All is going to be right with the world when the great prophet from Chicago takes the stand, and the world leaders who want to kill us will simply be singing 'Kumbaya' around the table of Barack Obama". He additionally stressed the middle name of Senator Obama, Hussein, to the point where listeners were apt to identify Senator Obama with former Iraqi dictator, Saddam Hussein. Like many on the far right, Cunningham is among those who continue to spread the theory of Senator Obama being a "Manchurian candidate"; a Muslim mole intent on destroying the United States from within.

Upon hearing these remarks, I knew, right then and there, that ending my affiliation with the Republican Party was the most correct thing I had done in quite a long time.

Gonzo No More

Chad Burge — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 14:19:45 EDT

After the recent announced departures of Karl "Turd Blossom" Rove and now Al "Bushie" Gonzoles, it makes me wonder why. Is it coincidence that there is a turning of the guard? We have to remember that this is coming from an administration that is emblazoned with political trickery and devisiveness. So, I'm siding with political intent with devilish overtones.